The present invention relates in general to the removal and installation of a camshaft for a diesel engine. More specifically, the present invention relates to the design and use of tooling components which facilitate the removal of a camshaft from the cylinder block of an engine in a safe and efficient manner. These same tooling components are used when the camshaft which has been removed is to be installed into the cylinder block or when a new camshaft is to be installed into the cylinder block. The removal of a camshaft from its cylinder block is typically performed for repair and/or servicing, and could therefore be performed in the field.
Removal and installation of heavy and/or bulky camshafts in high horsepower diesel engines is an arduous task, particularly during field repairs and/or overhaul. The tooling components which are provided according to the present invention facilitate the removal and installation procedures by providing support to the camshaft and by protecting the precision-machined cam lobes. The result is a faster and safer removal procedure and a faster and safer installation procedure. The added convenience offered by the present invention results in less time being required for the repair and/or overhaul procedures while reducing the risk of damage to the camshaft.
One of the primary tooling components according to the present invention is a contoured PVC sleeve or guide which has a part-circular cross section for fitting over the inner base circle of a corresponding one of the exhaust or intake cam lobes. Another one of the primary tooling components according to the present invention is an aluminum pilot which is designed for attachment to one end of the camshaft by an xe2x80x9cexpanding screwxe2x80x9d in order to provide additional support to the camshaft. Such support is beneficial as the camshaft sequentially passes through the camshaft bearings of the engine cylinder block.
Another one of the tooling components according to the present invention is a guide extractor which is used to facilitate the removal of the guides from the selected camshaft lobes. Since there is a snug fit of the guides onto the inner base circle of each corresponding camshaft lobe, a fair amount of force is required to manually remove the guides. Since there is some risk of hand injury due to the sharp edges which are present, the extractor does the job easily and avoids the risk of injury.
In the context of the present invention, two specific engine styles will be referenced. While it is felt that these specific references will aid in an understanding of the invention, it should be noted that the present invention is applicable to virtually any camshaft, though more applicable to a heavier or heavy-duty camshaft.
A kit for both removal of a camshaft from a cylinder block and for installation of a camshaft into a cylinder block according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a kit of tooling components including a plurality of camshaft guides constructed and arranged to fit onto a corresponding one of the camshaft lobes, an extraction tool which is constructed and arranged for connection to each camshaft guide in order to facilitate removal of the plurality of camshaft guides from the corresponding camshaft lobes, and a pilot which is constructed and arranged for connection to a rear face of the camshaft in order to provide additional support. A related embodiment of the present invention includes a method of removing a camshaft from a cylinder block wherein the cylinder block includes a camshaft bore and the method includes the steps of first providing a plurality of camshaft guides which are constructed and arranged to fit onto a corresponding one of the camshaft lobes, providing a pilot which is constructed and arranged to be attached to a rear face of the camshaft, installing the plurality of camshaft guides on the camshaft lobes, sliding the camshaft out of the camshaft bore of the cylinder block, stopping the sliding step when the rear face of the camshaft is accessible by way of a follower opening, installing the pilot flush against the rear face of the camshaft, continuing the sliding step until at least half of the camshaft extends beyond the cylinder block, attaching a lifting strap to the camshaft, resuming the sliding of the camshaft out of the camshaft bore until the camshaft is free of the cylinder block, removing the camshaft guides from the camshaft, and removing the pilot from the rear face of the camshaft.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved kit of tooling components for both removal and installation of a camshaft.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for removing a camshaft from and installing a camshaft into a cylinder block.
Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.